Synopsis from Grand Central Publishing:
From the creator of the #1 hit Netflix series Stay Close comes a gripping new thriller in which Wilde follows a tip that may finally reveal the truth behind his abandonment—only to end up in the sights of a ruthless killer.
After months away, Wilde has returned to the Ramapo Mountains in the wake of a failed bid at domesticity that confirms what he’s known all along: He belongs on his own, free from the comforts and constraints of modern life.
Suddenly, a DNA match on an online ancestry database brings Wilde closer to his past than he’s ever dreamed, and finally gives Wilde the opening he needs to track down his father. But meeting the man brings up more questions than answers. So Wilde reaches out to his last, most desperate lead, a second cousin who disappears as quickly as he resurfaces, having experienced an epic fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare.
Was his cousin’s downfall a long time coming? Or was he the victim of a conspiracy as cunning as it is complex? And how does it all connect to the man once known as The Stranger, a treacherous fugitive with a growing following whose mission and methods have only turned more dangerous with time?
About: The Match is a mystery thriller written by Harlan Coben. It was published on 3/15/2022 by Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, hardcover, 352 pages. The genres are mystery, thriller, and adult fiction. According to the publisher’s website, “Grand Central Publishing, formerly Warner Books, came into existence in 1970 when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library, subsequently publishing paperback reprints editions of such bestsellers as Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and Umberto Eco’s The Name Of The Rose. Today Grand Central Publishing reaches a diverse audience through hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market imprints that cater to every kind of reader.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.
My Experience: I started reading The Match on 4/6/2022 and finished it on 5/26/2022 at 3am. The start of this book was a lot to take in. Three different stories with different characters: Wilde and his dad, the Boomerangs, and then the courtroom trial against Richard. The courtroom was a bit useless in this story and it was not interesting. That’s the only part why I took forever to read this book. I almost DNF. Once I got past the courtroom hurdle, the story was interesting again. Scam and hackers are huge nowadays. This book even mentioned about sending links to someone and they clicked on it without knowing they were getting hacked. I have seen it going around on Instagram often recently. They tried to send me links too but I didn’t click on them. One even pretended to be a publisher and I informed the publisher. This whole hacking stuff and social media trolls in the story was fascinating to read because I’m using social media now. I enjoyed the banters between Wilde and Rola. Matthew’s character was good too. There were hints about what happened to David, Hester’s son Matthew’s dad and Wilde’s best friend. That story got nowhere because Wilde refused to tell what happened. I would prefer the author expanded on this and cut out Hester’s courtroom case altogether.
This book started out with Wilde’s background. He was found living in the woods at around 8 years old with no memory of having parents. Now three decades later, still no one came to claim him as their child. Until recently, he believed he found his biological father, Carter through an online DNA site, who has 3 daughters and owned a construction business. Wilde flew home immediately because he was not ready to be part of his dad’s current situation and his dad was not ready to tell his current family about Wilde. Wilde also found a cousin on the DNA site. The cousin wrote a cry for help letter to Wilde but he didn’t see it until months later and when he replied the user was deleted out of the DNA site. Wilde decided to go looking for his missing cousin. The next view was Chris, the leader of a group of six anonymous people who called themselves Boomerangs, specializing in investigating online trolls. Four months later, readers followed a defense attorney, Hester, for Richard. He’s in court for shooting at a victim without hesitation. Hester’s grandson Matthew, 18, godson of Wilde worried about Wilde because he hadn’t heard from him in awhile. Hester’s family and Wilde has history together. The story circled back to Chris from Boomerangs when a dead body was discovered. There’s a surprise view of the killer.
The Match was well written and I loved the many twists and turns to find the killer. I enjoyed reading about those online DNA sites and how people surprisingly find their biological family. Another read with DNA site is The Family Tree. I loved the many problems and problem solving in this story. Many times I couldn’t put down the read. I like smart characters and it looked like Wilde is clever as well as Rola, Wilde’s foster sister. I enjoyed the fast paced action packed storyline after the courtroom hurdle. This book is my first read from the author and it won’t be my last. I haven’t read book 1 yet but I might go back to reading it. I do have other books of the author on my bookshelf and I’m excited to read them. I do recommend everyone to read this book!
I rate it 4 stars!
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About the Author:
Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and five of his books have been developed into Netflix original series, including his adaptation of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good, The Woods, and Stay Close, which was released on December 31, 2021. He lives in New Jersey. (Photo and info obtained from Grand Central Publishing’s website).
More Information about Grand Central Publishing
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***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine
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